


Strange Request

by in2sin



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Attempted Murder, Awkwardness, Established Relationship, M/M, Minor Injuries, Poisoning, Tension, cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2020-01-31 07:47:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18586888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/in2sin/pseuds/in2sin
Summary: Ran keeps wanting to have a certain conversation with Shinichi. Shinichi is really trying to avoid it. Kaito just wants to help.





	1. Injury

**Author's Note:**

> The title is based on the creative writing prompt title. I just decided to use that because I didn't like the last title and I was at a loss for what else to name this. Enjoy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was started from a writing prompt. These are the required words:
> 
> Carnival, Sprained, Mask, Oxidation, Awkward, Apple, Juvenile, Controversy, Twirl, Sassafras
> 
> I hope you enjoy and will provide me with some feedback on the stories quality.

I leaned against a lamp post under a patch of tree shade, trying to escape some of the oppressive summer heat. It was about 84 degrees outside, but with the humidity, it felt more like 90 something. Even in the lightweight short-sleeved blue button-up shirt, I had decided to wear today, it felt like I was melting. I wiped sweat from my brow and glanced at my watch. It was twelve minutes after two, making Ran a bit late. I sighed as I closed my eyes, resigning myself to the wait.

I was out in this horrid heat because there happen to be a carnival in the area, and Ran had invited me to go. We hadn’t done much together since I had returned to my real body three months prior. This was mainly due to the strain on our relationship after I confessed to being Conan. She’d expressed a lot of hurt and anger over the situation, understandable, which had made our interactions stilted and awkward at best. I had lots of makeup work to do if I wanted to graduate on time, but I’d felt too guilty to turn Ran down again. She’d voiced her invitation so shy and quiet like she’d already expected the no but figured she could at least say she tried, and I couldn’t help but say yes. She was my best friend, after all.

“Shinichi!”

I opened my eyes and scanned the crowd and quickly noticed Ran running towards me, wearing white capris and a short-sleeved blue striped shirt that had cutouts on her shoulders. She had prepared for the hot weather a bit more than I had. She raced up to me and bent over out of breath and barely managing to gasp out an apology for the wait. I shook my head and stared at her head in exasperated amusement.

“You didn’t have to run all the way here.” I chided.

I guess there was too much chastisement in my tone because she immediately looked up fiercely. “I got caught up cleaning up after my dad and didn’t want to make you wait longer than you already had. Besides for all I knew, if I had taken to long, you would have disappeared, having gotten dragged into one case or another.”

There was a moment of strained silence after her statement. It was a reasonable fear after the past two and a half years, but it brought up all the reasons we had been avoiding each other. I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

“So how is Oji…” I had to cough and cover my mistake of calling her father uncle as I did when I was Conan. “Your dad? Making any money off the horse racing?”

Of course, after I returned to my body, and came out as having taken down the biggest crime syndicate in recent memory, Sleeping Kogorou had taken a back seat in the fame department. Not to mention, without me he wasn’t as successful in solving crimes as he was before. Luckily enough, Ran hadn’t told her father that I had been Conan and that all of his success had been due to me. I still avoided coming near her house to avoid the wrath of Mouri Kogorou, though.

Ran’s face screwed up in a mix of exhaustion, irritation, and something between love and sympathy. She instantly went into a tirade about her father and his antics. I sighed with relief and walked with her over to the entrance of the carnival. I, of course, paid for our admission, and we began strolling through, looking for something to catch our attention. I keep the focus of the conversation on her and her life with a steady stream of questions whenever she finished one chain of thought.

We were having a pretty good, average day out for the first time in a long time. But I didn’t see that lasting for much longer. 

I had just won a B.B. gun shooting game to get her a bear she had wanted when I noticed she was now very quiet. I nervously glanced in her direction and immediately wanted to groan. She wore a very Ran expression. A slight blush colored her cheeks, and she had a look of determination on her face, meaning she was working her courage up to do or say something she was unsure of. I could guess what was currently on her mind, and I didn’t want to go there right now.

She had been having quite a few secret conversations with Sonoko as of late. There were often many glances in my direction and blushing from Ran when I cast a curious gaze in their way. If I moved over to them, the conversation would stop all together accompanied by glares from Sonoko. It didn’t take a detective of even Mouri’s caliber to solve this mystery. 

“Shinichi?” She said tentatively.

I cringed slightly and turned to look the other way as if looking for our next activity. “Hm?”

“I was just wondering where-“

Her words cut off with a small shocked gasp when I shoved violently into her with a grunt. Someone had just bumped into me with enough force to twirl me around and into Ran. One of my hands shot out quickly to catch her before she could topple over. I glanced around and noticed a male figure running and shoving over bystanders.

“Purse snatcher!” A woman screeched.

My vision instantly zeroed in on the man’s black-clad back and his windswept brown hair. “Call the police, Ran,” I said and took off after the criminal.

I dodged through the pedestrians with more grace than the thief due to my slimmer frame and agility. He took a glanced back and must have noticed my determined expression and figured I was chasing after him. He cursed and pushed an ice cream cart as he passed by it. The vendor yelled at him as several items fell off of it. I darted to the right through a narrow passageway I had noticed earlier that went between some of the stands. I got yelled at as I vaulted over a counter but continued on my way. 

When I next caught sight of the perpetrator, he was about to pass by where this little side area led back to the main walkway. He glanced back and looked slightly relieved until he noticed me lunging for him. He tried to backpedal but was too late. I snagged his shoulder area and took him down.

Somehow as we fell, we twisted slightly; he landed on my lower body. I felt a sharp pain stabbed through my ankle but paid it no heed as I grappled with the man to get his arms behind his back. By time Ran caught up to me with security, I had secured the guy’s hands with some rope one of the vendors had acquired for me. I gave her a brief smile to let her know I was alright as I began to explain what had happened to the security officer, who merely seemed awed by the fact that I was that Kudo Shinichi.

The police arrived about fifteen minutes later. After taking my statement about the events, I moved to go back to Ran and immediately winced as pain lanced its way up my leg. Ran’s attention instantly narrowed on the way I was favoring my right leg. 

“You’ve been hurt! Why didn’t you say something?” I made a panicked shushing gesture at her, but Satou had been close enough to hear it.

“We need a medic to look at Kudo-kun,” Satou called.

I turned to her with a protest on the tip of my tongue but relented when I saw her scowling at me. I instead gave her a sheepish smile and moved to a chair as she helped me over. After five minutes of fussing, my ankle was wrapped in two layers of elastic bandages, and a crutch was under my right arm. I had been informed that I had a sprained ankle. I could have told them from the beginning, but my judgment wasn’t to be trusted on the matter since I hadn’t said something in the first place.

As Ran and I waited for a taxi to arrive, and Ran fussed the whole time about idiot detective geeks, my phone vibrated once to indicate a text message. I glanced at it and briefly scowled at the screen before returning it to my pocket and tuning back into Ran’s rant.

“Had no idea if you would be alright or return, just like last time!” She finished.

I could guess what the rest of her speech had been. And this was what our current problem was. Ran trusted me to keep her secrets like I always had as her best friend. Trusted me forever to try to protect her and those she loved. What she didn’t believe was that I wouldn’t disappear like all the times before, and like the problem I had with her as Conan, she didn’t trust that I understood the danger of the criminals I chased and my ability to handle the situation. Though I had proven my knowledge and ability to her many times as both Conan and Shinichi. Even with the hiccup of being turned into Conan at all.

“Everything is fine, Ran. I’m alright.” I said to placate her.

She sighed and stayed silent until the taxi showed up. I gave the driver both her address and mine and told him to drop her off first. Ran stared out the window sadly the entire way, looking haunted.

~

Upon entering the house, my crutch was taken from me, and a shoulder took its place. I looked over to see indigo eyes staring at me with a mix of emotions.

“All of 3 hours,” the speakers cool, calm voice belied the concern in the stormy eyes that stared at me. “That’s how long you were gone before you managed to get yourself into trouble. You should try an apple a day and see if it keeps more than just doctors away.”

I could feel a flush heat my cheeks. “You keep tabs on me?” I said just for something to say since I already knew he did. He always seemed to know what I got up to when he wasn’t around, but there had been the text message from earlier stating that he was coming over to take care of me.

“Of course,” came the unrepentant reply. “I keep tabs on all of my detectives. Especially my favorite one who gets into so much trouble even with the most seemly innocuous tasks.”

I glared at Kaito, but I think the effect was lessened by the blush, burning my face and neck. He helped me to the living room couch where he settled me with a pillow under my ankle, which had begun to throb fiercely. He waved a hand through the air and produced a large ice pack, which he placed on the injury. I sighed in relief and relaxed back into the cushions. You could only run on adrenaline and pure stubbornness for so long. So, even though I had told the other man to stop breaking into my house whenever he felt like it, I appreciated him being there to help me.

“You didn’t eat either, did you?” He asked, knowingly. I shook my head sheepishly. He sighed and walked away.

I watched him go before I leaned my head back and closed my eyes for a moment. Kaito and I had been dating since I had made it back to my body. As Conan, he and I had become something of friends during his night lighting job. Then, after a particularly tricking incident with the Black Organization, he had confronted me on the danger I was putting myself in. I had told him he knew enough of my secrets, and I wouldn’t be sharing more, especially since he was shrouded in them.

He had shown up a few days later to pick me up from school with no disguise and had kidnapped me away from the gang for the day. We had talked, and he had shared pretty much everything with me. I had thought he was crazy to do so but, by this point, I had stopped trying to really catch him and just enjoyed the battle of wits we had. So he had said it was a calculated risk he had been willing to take. He had become my one true confidant. The only person I could honestly go to that could keep up with my train of thought. The person who wouldn’t judge or reprimand me and could actually understand me. And that I felt confident could keep himself safe through everything my life dished out. We had bonded more than I had truly understood.

When Haibara had made the permanent antidote, I had jumped at the chance to take it. After all the arrangements had been made, I arrived at my house to take the cure to find Kaito there to act as moral support. When I had emerged from my room, he had been waiting for me on this very couch. After a brief congratulation, he had leaned over and kissed me. I had been shocked at first but had found it pleasant and kissed him back. What happened next can be summarized in two words: returned hormones. I hadn’t regretted it.

Kaito walked back in with some microwaved leftovers because, for all his many talents, he couldn’t cook to save his life. But I appreciated the effort.

“Thanks,” I said as I took the plate. As I began to eat, Kaito sat down on the floor with his back against the couch by my head. He turned on the news where they were reporting on the “latest and greatest” deed of high school detective Kudo Shinichi. I looked away and concentrated on my food.

Just as I was finishing, Kaito said, “Very heroic of you, Meitantei.”

I snorted. “Hardly. He wasn’t a dangerous criminal, just a juvenile delinquent. We simply landed oddly, which is how I got hurt.”

Kaito grinned at me. “But didn’t you hear? He was armed and could have potentially killed you.”

“He was armed with a handbag that didn’t even have mace in it,” I responded dryly. Kaito nearly choked on his tongue as he let out a bark of laughter. I loved it when he laughed like that, genuine and unguarded. The thought made me flush.

“We finally get a weekend to spend together, and I had to share it with the admitted lovely Mouri-chan. Now we can’t have fun since you’ve been injured.” He said and gave me an intense, heated look that caused me to squirm and my blood to heat. “In fact, you should probably sleep on the couch to avoid further injury, so we can’t even cuddle.”

The last was said with a pout. I coughed into my hand, but my voice still sounded a bit strained when I said, “You have a no one gets hurt policy, right? I trust that everything will be fine.”

He grinned and helped me to bed.

~

The rest of the weekend went by uneventfully enough. So when I returned to school, with a blue and white cane instead of a crutch, stupid thief, to have Ran fuss over me, it was slightly exasperating.

“How are you feeling? You did take it easy and relax for the weekend, right?” She asked.

“Fine, and yes, I did,” I said, biting back a sigh as I slumped into my seat.

She was silent a moment then asked quietly. “You’re not going to go after him this time, are you?”

I stared at her, bewildered. “After who?”

“You didn’t hear?” Ran opened her mouth to continue, but Sonoko chooses that moment to intrude.

“Ran!” I cringed and just barely prevented myself from covering my ears. “You’re coming with me to Kid-sama’s heist, right?”

I blinked. “Come again? What heist?”

Sonoko stared down her nose at me with one of her haughty looks. She often looked at me like that nowadays, not that before had been much better. I assume it had something to do with the fact that I hadn’t immediately returned and proposed to Ran. Or some such crap.

“It’s all over the news and radio. Or do you not pay attention to any press except that about your own “heroics”?” She asked with that stupid, infuriating smirk of hers. 

I refused to engage in childish conversations with Sonoko. The moment I participated in any way, she would become genuinely frustrating to deal with. So I glared at her then looked to Ran. She gave me a look of chagrin before explaining the new notice. Apparently, the note was for this Friday night at 10 pm, and he was after a rather large gem owned by the President of a marketing company. The company was having a party that night to celebrate the companies 7th anniversary, and they were showcasing their success, partially in the way of their acquisitions.

Why had that bastard not told me himself?

~

I decided to text Kaito about it during lunch.

You decided not to mention the heist to me why? 

I didn’t say his heist for plausible deniability if ever needed later. I continued to eat my lunch in silence while I waited for a reply. I was pretty much being ignored in general by the girls who had their heads together and were whispering fiercely. Five minutes later, I was beginning to wonder whether I should insert myself in their conversation when Kaito’s reply came.

We don’t usually do hobby talk on our weekends.

Ten seconds later, another message came in. Plus, you were injured, and I didn’t want you to feel obligated to come.

I smiled slightly at that. Kaito could be a gentleman like his namesake said, when he felt like it. 

Another message. Besides, if you’re up to chasing a wily international super thief, you should have definitely been up for having fun with me ~.^

My smile turned into a scowl. But usually, he was just a pervert! I was about to respond when Ran leaned over.

“Who are you messaging?” She asked with a curious tilt of her head, her face stained slightly by a blush.

I felt my face start to burn and tried to think of a quick reply when my phone vibrated, and I looked down to see a call coming in. I stammered out an excuse and left to take the call. It was from a number I didn’t recognize, but I answered anyway.

“This is Kudo Shinichi.”

“Kudo-kun, how are you? It’s Sawaguchi Toiharu.” I didn’t immediately respond with an acknowledgment that I recalled the name, he continued. “I’m a friend of your father’s. Did some marketing for his books? I’m also the one currently being targeted by Kaitou Kid.”

“Ah, Sawaguchi-san, how can I help you today?” I asked, wanting to get straight to the point.

“Well, I’ve heard you were a very successful detective, and your father told me you had some experience with the Kaitou Kid. So I thought I’d give you a call.”

Of course, I said yes.

~


	2. Heist

That’s how I ended up sitting in a chair in the corner of the room at a boring Masked Ball. 

The party was taking place on the 15th floor of Sawaguchi’s main office building. It was an ample space that was meant for just such gatherings. There were several groups of tables and chairs that were all draped in black cloth in the center of the room with more black chairs around the edges. One side of the room had tables covered in white fabric with fancy high-end food, and a bar area had been set up on the other. In the front of the room was a slightly raised stage, where I assumed speeches and presentations were usually made, which currently holds a glossy black baby grand piano being played by an older grey-haired gentleman. The lighting was now soft and complimented the whole piano bar lounge feeling that they had going on.

I sighed, as lovely as it was to be at one of these events that were tastefully done, I was just waiting for the real show to begin. I had been here since three o’clock this afternoon, offering advice on how to best prevent Kid from stealing the object of his current desire. Nakamori-keibu hadn’t been pleased to see me, especially with a cane in my hand, but there hadn’t been much he could do about it since it was the will of the owner that I attend tonight. So I had worked as best as possible with the stubborn Inspector on a plan of defense.

I glanced over at the target sitting in a glass case in the middle of the room. It was a five-carat sapphire pendant that hung on an impeccable gold chain that had symbols and images chiseled into it. It was actually a magnificent piece. Half the “art” that usually got stolen never really appealed to me. Often, it was gaudy and awful looking, in my humble opinion. 

I glanced around, trying to spot Ran, who had gone off ten minutes ago to get me coffee. She had decided to come with me, probably out of some misguided sense of guilt over my sprained ankle, to assist me if I need it. The ankle that should have been fine by now but wasn’t due to varies occurrences that had happened throughout the week that had not allowed me to rest it as I should have.

I looked around again to see if I could spot Ran headed my way. I didn’t. I did, however, notice a male who seemed to be heading in the direction of my secluded corner. He looked to be in his early to mid-twenties and had black hair that falls to almost to his shoulders in a tousled wave. His eyes appeared extremely dark behind the thin black mask. He was dressed in a black suit with the top button of his crisp navy-blue shirt unbuttoned and no tie. 

“Hey, I noticed you sitting here by yourself for a while and thought you could use some company,” the guy offered with a seemingly genuine smile.

“The person I came with went to get drinks. She should be back shortly.” I respond politely, trying to hint that I was fine and that he should move on. 

“You sent your date to get drinks for you?” He asked with a raised brow. “Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?”

I sputtered for a moment. “She is not my date! She’s my best friend and feels responsible for my injury so she won’t let me do things.”

“Injury?” He inquired with a tilt of his head.

I lift the right leg of my charcoal grey colored slacks to point out a sports brace. It was far more practical then the two elastic bandages I was initially given. Plus, the brace fit more comfortable in my shoes. 

“I sprained my ankle,” I said exasperatedly. I still had the ridiculous blue cane, that matched the color of my shirt that had been picked out for me, with a white handle that Kaito had given me. He assured me it was merely coincident that my shirt for the evening and the cane were in Kid’s colors and another coincident that all my other dress shirts were either dirty or simply couldn’t be found. Of course. I was trying to use it as little as possible, which is part of the reason why I had sighed defeatedly when Ran had insisted on getting me a drink.

“Man, that sucks. Why would you want to come to a party like this with a sprained ankle?” He asked.

“I was invited along by a family friend,” I hedged. “Where’s your date? You look a bit young to work here.” I was just trying to shift the focus of the conversation to him.

With that, we started a full conversation, which I had been trying to avoid in the first place. I ended up somewhat enjoying myself while talking to Izura Akira, who was a new hire to the company. Fifteen minutes into the conversation, I once again found myself looking around, trying to catch a glimpse of Ran. I spotted her across the room talking to someone, I vaguely remember seeing before at her mother’s office, minus any drinks in hand. I shook my head with a small smile and moved to grab my embarrassing cane to go get my own drink.

Akira noticed the movement. “Leaving?”

“My friend has been distracted, so I was going to get a drink,” I said, moving to stand.

He placed a hand on my shoulder. “I can go get you something from the bar. I wanted something as well, anyways.”

I thought about it for a moment then nodded. “Sorry for the trouble.”

“No trouble at all,” He smiled and immediately got up and started making his way across the room. 

I realized after he got halfway there that I hadn’t told him what I wanted to drink. Oh well. I guess anything would do at this point, really. I retook stock of my surroundings since the heist time was fast approaching. Nakamori-keibu was still hanging out in one of the other corners, eyes focused on the display case in the middle of the room. I shook my head. That’s why Kid always slipped pass the Inspector. He was still too focused on the wrong thing. Usually, the very thing Kid wanted him focused on. Other officers were near the door looking around suspiciously. A few were actually enjoying some of the food with the other guests until the appointed time.

“Here you go,” I glanced up to see Akira had returned and was holding a mug out to me. I held my breath, hoping it was coffee as I took hold of the cup. Since it was in a black mug, I took an experimental sniff of the liquid only to sag slightly in disappointment. It didn’t have the rich aroma of coffee but instead smelt like tea. I took a small sip only to grimace in distaste. Sassafras tea. Who goes to a bar and orders sassafras tea? He’d probably gotten some looks at that strange request.

“Is something wrong?” He asked, looking concerned.

I didn’t want to tell him he’d wasted his time getting something I disliked. I opened my mouth, probably to condemn myself when I noticed Ran heading over with a steaming mug in hand. 

Ran had gotten a dress from Sonoko for the event, who fortunately wasn’t able to come due to a family event her mother wouldn’t let her skip. It was a simple black halter dress that was made more elegant by the lace panel that went from neck to navel. There was also a strip one inch from the bottom that had a see-through section to add interest. She had refused Sonoko’s high stiletto heels in favor of some black wedge sandals that she had recently bought. She looked elegant, and stunning…but didn’t make his thump harder in his chest like she once did.

“Sorry, Shinichi I got distracted by one of my mom’s work friends. Oh hello. Are you a friend of Shinichi’s?” Ran asked when she noticed my companion.

He gave a small bow. “Izura Akira. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Mouri Ran. It’s nice to meet you as well.” She said with a small bow back.

“Well, now that your friend has returned. I’ll leave you be. Sorry to take up so much of your time.” He said as he turned back to me.”

“No thank you, I appreciate it. Enjoy the rest of the party.” I said to him. He gave both Ran and me a brief nod then headed toward the buffet table.

“I see you already have a drink.” Ran said with a sheepish smile. I took the mug she held and replace it with the one that had tea. She looked at me, puzzled.

“Sassafras,” I said quietly. She laughed and took a seat next to me. I glanced at my watch to see that there were only four minutes left to the designated time. As I looked up, I noticed Ran’s face was bright red. I blinked at her then realized she was fidgeting with the mug in her hand and had her gaze fixed to it. She must have drunk out of it and realized she was drinking after me. An indirect kiss in her mind. I sat there quietly, hoping the heist would start and distract her.

“Ne, Shinichi?” She said softly.

I inwardly groaned. I was going to have to get around to telling Ran I was dating someone else. These moments kept cropping up on me, and I really didn’t want to go there. If she found out about it due to working up her courage to ask about “us,” and I tell her, then her wrath would be like nothing I had ever seen before. But how was I supposed to say to the girl I once confessed to that I was now dating a guy?

I pretended not to have heard her hoping she would drop it. “Shinichi?” She called again at a more conversational level.

I turned to look at her and, some deity most have seen fit to have mercy on me for once, the lights went out. There were gasps and excited chatter all throughout the room. I sat up a bit straighter. Suddenly a spotlight appeared right above the display case which Kid now stood on top of in full regalia. His standard shark-like grin is noticeable under the tilted top hat. My heart sped up for a moment when I looked at the case beneath his feet to see that he hadn’t already taken the necklace.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am truly sorry to interrupt your evening. Now that I have what I came for, I will take my leave and bid you all farewell.” In a burst of smoke and doves, he disappeared. His manic laughter ringing through the hall. 

Nakamori-keibu began yelling for his officers to find the thief. I leaned back and shook my head. Since the necklace wasn’t gone when Kid had appeared, that meant there would be a second blackout, and he would take it then. He had made Nakamori think he had already taken it so he would head straight out of the hall. Apparently, Kid wasn’t going to go as over the top as usual since I couldn’t participate in the game. And why go through so much when the standard tricks would do?

As predicted, the lights went out again a moment later. I leaned back and waited for the lights to come back on, knowing Kaito would be changed and out of the area in about fifteen seconds. I wonder if I could get him to come save me before I had to resume the conversation with Ran. Suddenly a horrified, agonized scream cut through the happy noise of the party-goers. I jolted to my feet and stumbled as pain stabbed my ankle. I was intimately familiar with that particular scream, the tortured agonized scream of the dying. I groped blindly around in the dark for the cane. When the lights came back on, I was already headed towards where I had heard the first scream and where more were now coming from.

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed. Feedback much appreciated.


	3. Crime

After I successfully pushed my way through the crowd, I cataloged everything about the scene. A slender man with thinning black hair lay on the floor, clutching at his stomach with blood on his front and a pool of it by him. His eyes were wide in fear in pain, beseeching me to help him. I carefully knelt next to the man who was my father’s friend trying to figure out where the blood was coming from. He grimaced in pain and curled around his stomach more. That’s when I noticed the blood on his teeth and the slight blue coloring of his lips. He had to have been poisoned, appeared to be sodium nitrate poisoning.

“Ran! Call an ambulance immediately.” I shouted over my shoulder. She nodded with a grim look on her face.

A man then pushed his way through the crowded. “President? President?!” He yelled in an anguished voice and came closer to try and kneel by the man.

“Stay back!” I snapped instantly. The man looked startled and stumbled back before turning red with anger.

He lurched forward, “Who do you think- “

The man's sentence was cut off when Izura-san came forward and put an arm in front of his chest. His smile was somewhat cold. “That’s the Heisei Holmes Kudo Shinichi. If he says stay back, you should listen to him. You wouldn’t want to be wrongfully accused of attempted murder, now would you?” 

The man looked horrified at that question and obediently took a step back. I spared a quick moment to take his measure in case I needed to remember him for later. He was tall, broad of shoulders, with high quality tailored clothing and a half white, half black mask. With that firmly in mind, I gave the Izura-san a grateful glance before checking on Ran. She had moved away from the noise of the people to make sure the dispatchers could hear her. I tried to think quickly of what I knew about first aid for poisonings.

I looked to Izura-san, as he was likely to be the most help. “I need a large bottle of water or several glasses of it.”

He nodded and immediately pushed his way through the crowd to get it for me. I looked back at Sawaguchi to see if he was still conscious. I couldn’t give him the water if he fainted. Luckily he was still awake and grimacing in pain.

“Sawaguchi-san, I’m going to need you to drink as much of the water as you can manage when it gets here. It’s going to help with the poisoning until a medic can arrive.” He merely nodded weakly to me.

“An ambulance and Division One are on their way, Shinichi,” Ran said. I nodded my thanks to her and noticed that familiar worried look on her face. 

Before I could think of anything to ease her worry Nakamori choose that moment to walk up.

“What the hell happened?” He roared in his usual way, but he was also making gestures to his men to secure the area.

“Appears to be a poisoning Nakamori-keibu,” I said calmly.

“And what do you think you’re doing? You should be standing back and letting professionals handle the situation!”

I tried not to get frustrated. Nakamori didn’t know me outside of Kid heist and didn’t even want me at those for the most part, so I tried to reason with him as I would any other person in a case that didn’t know who I was.

“Do you know first aid for poisoning?”

Head jerking back in surprise at my questioning of him. “No.”

“Do you know how long it will take for the paramedics to get here?”

“About 15 minutes or so.”

“Do you know how long it takes for sodium nitrate to kill a victim, if not diluted?”

Nakamori stuttered out a no.

“I know all those things. I can help, or Sawaguchi-san most likely won’t make it.” I informed him, grimly. He levels steady, assessing eyes on me, and I met his stare. He gave a brief nod before moving to the side for the man pushing his way through the crowd.

I glanced at Ran once again, knowing I didn’t have time to soothe the worry that only seemed to have grown since I noticed it a minute or two ago. As Izura arrived with the water, I instead focused on helping the man lift his head and so I could bring the water bottle to his lips. It was slow going, but he keeps at it for the entire ten minutes it took for the ambulance to arrive.

“Excuse me, sir. We’ll take over from here.” I looked up to find a young dark brown hair male with brown eyes.

I quickly moved to the side as to be out of his way but stayed near to inform him of what I had noticed and done.

“He had severe abdominal pain and vomited blood. His lips were slightly tinged blue. With those signs, I assumed poisoning with sodium nitrate and began giving him water about five minutes after the onset of symptoms.” I told the man as he began checking Sawaguchi-san’s vitals.

“Very astute observation and quick thinking, from my observations, I agree with your assessment, though we’ll need to do more tests to confirm that at the hospital. I appreciate the information, we’ll get him to the hospital as quickly as possible.” The man said with a genuine smile. I gave him a quick nod before looking around. Now that Sawaguchi-san was taken care of, it was time for me to get down to figuring out who had tried to kill him.

I tried to maneuver myself off the ground with as little pain as possible from my ankle, which was now throbbing a bit in protest. I slightly lost my balance and had just let out a small pained gasp when a hand was placed under my forearm to provide support. I was hauled up and was soon staring into Izura-san’s dark gaze.

“Thank you for your assistance again,” I said as I moved to stand under my own power.

“You’re most welcome,” he replied as he held out my cane for me.

“Kudo-kun!” Megure-keibu called. I gave the other man a brief smile before taking the cane and moving over to the Inspector. “I see your luck is still in full effect. You’re like my replacement for Mouri-kun these days.”

I rubbed at the back of my neck with a weak smile. “I was busy giving first aid to the best of my abilities, so I haven’t had a chance to talk to anyone or single people out for you this time Megure-keibu.”

A throat cleared slightly behind me. I turned to once again find Izura-san. “I was paying attention. I talked with the wait staff shortly after the incident, and they made sure to block off the area so no one could leave or get rid of any evidence before the police took over the task. I only noticed three people who tried to insist or cause trouble about it before or after the police took over.

He led us over to where the three stood with an officer standing close enough to obviously be keeping an eye on them. 

‘Time to get to work.’

~

I took stock of the three suspects as Megure talk with his men, giving them instructions for questioning the rest of the party-goers. There were two men and a woman. The woman was supermodel thin with chocolate brown hair that was pulled back into a perfect, elegant bun with bejeweled hair needles holding it in place. She wore a strapless black dress that had a hemline that was shorter in the middle and got longer on the sides. She wore strappy black heeled sandals that only gave her about two inches to her already above average height. She wore a black lace filigree mask, which curled outwards on the left and rose dramatically up higher on the right and curled inwards. She stood tapping her foot in an obviously impatient manner by the fast, furious pace of it. Not to mention the scowls, she keeps shooting the police around her.

The man that stood to her left was a bit shorter than her with a much stocker build. He looked to be in his mid to late 30s and wore an ill-fitting, probably off the rack, suit and scuffed up leather loafers. He wore a standard plain black mask that most people would find in just about any party store. He definitely had the look of an average employee of the company. He kept wiping his shiny forehead and up the receding hairline of his slightly greying black hair with a clearly well-used handkerchief.

The final man had a completely different look to him. He was a tall, imposing man with a suit that had the apparent look of high quality, and that must have been tailored to fit his board shoulders and chest. His shoes were shiny black Italian loafers. He wore a mask that had the general shape of a traditional male masquerade mask but was a bit bigger. While masks like that were generally wholly black, this one was half black and half white with wicked curves where the two sides met. He stood with solid confidence and looked entirely unfazed by the police presence they had surrounding them.

I walked over with Megure-keibu and listened as he introduced himself and asked for their information in turn and for them to remove their masks. The young woman was Haruyuki Reika, 23, the date of one of the higher-ups. The nervous man was Nishikawa Koji, 38, a bookkeeper for the company. The final man was Ishihara Shinzo, 41, the companies Vice President. He was the same man that had tried to approach the President earlier. And had then tried to insist upon leaving the hall? Interesting.

“So, why were you all trying to leave an active crime scene?” Megure-keibu asked.

“I’m not trying to be involved in a murder! I didn’t see anything and didn’t even know the man, so why should I have to stay?” Reika scoff in an unsympathetic way.

“‘Didn’t know the man?’ You were seen meeting him outside the building and going into his office many times, Haruyuki-san. It was rumored that you were his mistress.” Ishihara-san said as he looked down his nose her with a haughty look on his face. “Last I saw you was after you stormed out of his office after a noisy fight about money. Right before he had you fired.”

Reika’s face colored red in what appeared to be fury. “And what of you, Ishihara? I heard that you were a useless, ambitious fool who wouldn’t know a good deal if it came up and slapped you in the face. You two were often arguing over the course the company would take.”

“I had no grievance with the president, so can I leave? I was only here because the president insisted that everyone come.” Nishikawa-san said quietly as he continued patting at the sweat on his brow.

“Huh?! You with no grievance Koji-kun? The person that the president constantly loudly reprimanded, often in front of everyone? Please! You hated that man’s guts, and you know it.” Reika said with a snide look on her face.

They all began arguing with one another then, and Megure-keibu tried to gain order over the situation. But I turned to what I knew so far: all of them knew the President and had one issue or another with the man. All except Ishihara-san lied about there relationship with the man. That left them all with a motive of some kind. The murderer would have had to get close to Sawaguchi-san to poison him. They needed to know what had been poison to get a more precise understanding of what happened.

I meandered over to where the forensic team was collecting evidence from where Sawaguchi-san had collapsed. 

“Need any more assistance?” A voice asked from behind me. I turned to see Izura-san behind me, I tilted my head as I studied him.

“Why are you so interested in helping solve this case?”

“Well, since you’re injured, I thought I could act as your assistant. But I’m a Kaito Kid fan, and I’m really hoping you’ll solve this case, so there’s no media talking about Kid-san being a murderer. That would surely stir up some controversy!” He exclaimed.

I shook my head with a sigh. Kid fans.

“At the moment, no. I’m just looking around seeing if anything stands out to me.” I said as I continued to glance around.

I happened to be looking in the direction of the main entrance to the hall, where I noticed a man angrily pointing towards the scene of the police gathered near the suspects. I took a moment to entirely focus my attention on the man only to realize that I knew that figure. My head started to pound slightly with the recognition.

Suddenly Ran’s voice was raised in an unexpected call, confirming and dooming us all. “Dad!”

I watched her rush pass to the officer that was trying to keep Mouri from the crime scene. A few words where exchanged, and with a shrug, the officer let him in. Mouri puffed his chest out and pulled at his suit jacket before turning to stride towards Megure-keibu. He, of course, noticed me a level a scowl on me, to which I just gave him a small smile in reply to.

“Keibu-dono!”

That tone clearly said Mouri would be cajoling his way into the investigation. I dismissed the fiasco and turned back to scanning the room, only to notice with a start that Izura-San was still standing right there. Startled to see him still standing so close but not wanting to show it, I glanced around again. Usually only Kaito could get in my personal space like that without me noticing and not raise my defenses. That’s when I saw the number marker next to a martini glass that was dropped close to where I had found the President. I walked over to the area to take a closer look. There appeared to be a crystallized substance in the glass and not on the rim as would typically be the case, but rather in the glass towards the bottom. Remnants from what had been on the rim?

“You look weary already, Kudo-kun,” Izura-san commented lightly. I jumped slightly, having forgotten the other man’s presence again.

I shrugged slightly, feeling a bit weary. “I have a case to solve, I’ll worry about it later. For now, I need to look for some more clues to help make sense of this case.” I glanced around to see the wait staff waited off to the side, away from all the evidence the police were currently searching for something to indicate where the poison had come from. Maybe someone would remember if any of the suspects had ordered something suspicious, or placed an order for the President.

“Do you know remember which staff was tending bar when you went to get my drink?” Based on the onset of the symptoms, the same person or people would have most likely made a drink for the President as well, if that glass did indeed belong to the President.

I held out my hand for him to lead the way. Might as well get some questions out the way while we waited for the forensic team to determine what had been poisoned.

~

After speaking with all the wait staff, I walked back over to join a harried look Megure-keibu, with a determined-looking Mouri who kept shooting glares over at the even more nervous looking Nishikawa-san. 

‘Ah, so he had chosen a suspect and was to glare him into a confession with no evidence,’ I thought with a shake of my head.

A forensic officer walked over to Megure-keibu with the martini glass I had noticed on the ground held in a bag. The officer leaned over to whisper something to the inspector. Megure-keibu shook his head looking exasperated with the news. I wondered over to the officer as he walked back to his case to stow the evidence.

“Excuse me,” he looks up at me from where he had knelt. “Can you tell me what you told Megure-keibu about that glass?”

Without hesitation, knowing who I am from repeated exposer, he replies “The glass was where the poison was. However, the only fingerprints we found on the glass belong to the victim. So it won’t be of further assistance identifying the culprit.”

“Thank you,” I said, I said with a smile. I now knew without a doubt who the culprit was.

I turned to thank Izura-san for all his assistance, only to not find him with me anymore. Glancing around the hall only served to show that he was nowhere in the room. I shook my head and focused back on solving the crime. 

“Megure-keibu,” he turned, gratefully, away from Mouri to see me approaching. “Shall we review the facts of the case to get to the bottom of the crime?”

Megure sighed but nodded. “Alright, Kudo-kun. What have you got?”

“The criminal had to get the victim to ingest the poison, meaning they had to be trusted enough that the President would have asked them to get something or readily accepted something they brought for them.”

Megure-keibu mused aloud, “That somewhat eliminates Nashikawa-san since he wasn’t close enough to the President to be trusted presenting anything to him. He wouldn’t have tasked him with getting anything, especially since he was apparently very vocal about the poor job he did in following instructions.”

Nishikawa-san looked relieved at being slightly exonerated and for Mouri’s piercing glare to now be on me instead of him. I nodded and continued. “They would have had to be unobtrusive enough or able to have a private place to step to so they could add the poison to whatever they were giving him.”

Mouri cut in immediately. “That could be Nishikawa! He’s ordinary enough and tends not to have good enough work relationships with anyone, so he could easily go unnoticed while performing his nefarious task!”

I tried not to make my sigh noticeable. “Possibly. But the culprit would have needed both things to accomplish this. The first one more than the second one if they were well prepared enough.” Mouri began grumbling under his breath about “detective brats.”

I shook my head to hide the slight smile, he never changed. “The final thing would be a way to have none of their fingerprints show up on the glass.” Everyone glanced at Reika-san and her elegant party gloves.

“I know you aren’t implying the lovely Reika is the culprit! One look at her and you know she couldn’t possibly have done it.” Mouri roared as if trying to shout down the evidence.

“Poison is considered a woman’s weapon,” Satou mused aloud. Mouri sputtered at that.

“Yet, I didn’t have number two since I came to this party with a date. Someone who’s side I rarely left for long enough or near enough to the time of the crime to be the culprit.” She said calmly.

“The culprit would have needed all these things to commit the crime.” I paused in my speech to take a breath. “The criminal is you, Ishihara-san,” I said as I pointed at him. His face morphed into one of surprise.

“What are you talking about? The President and I may not have agreed on everything about running this company, but we did a good job together. And like you said, there are no fingerprints. How can you assume it was me?” Ishihara-san reasoned. 

“You have germaphobia don’t you, Ishihara-san?”

He looked shocked at the question. “Yes, but I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”

“I spoke with the wait staff. They remember you, mainly because of your germophobic tendency of to insist that a cup be placed down before you’ll take it. As well as your practice of wiping a glass once you receive it.”

“What do my ordering habits have to do with this crime?” Ishihara asked, sounding more upset.

“If Reika-san with her gloves had been the culprit then the fingerprints of the wait staff member who prepared the drink would still be on there. The fact that all prints are absent but the victim’s points to you being the one that presented the poisoned drink to him.” Shinichi stated. Ishihara-san’s mouth floundered open as he tried to form words in his defense.

I continued on before he could find himself, “Also, when sodium nitrate goes through the odixation process, it turns into a crystalline-like substance. I’m sure you haven’t noticed it, or you would have been trying to get somewhere private to remove the evidence, but there are a few crystals on the cuff of your suit.” I said, gesturing to his left wrist, his eyes widened with fear for a moment.

“The actual murder could have bumped into me, and that’s how that got there. For all we know, that was a trick done by Kaito Kid. Maybe he’s the real murder.” Ishihara-san sneered.

I held up one finger. “One, there were no elaborate magic tricks performed during this heist that may have gotten a strange substance on your clothing due to widespread use. Two, by your own account, when Kid appeared you were not near the center of the area to have gotten it on you by being a specific target. Three, the amount that might have been brushed on you in passing would be nothing compared to if you had accidentally spilled some on you, and it soaked into your jacket that way. Which we will be able to determine quickly once your jacket is tested.” A fourth finger joined the others as I continued despite the frantic look on Ishihara’s face since he was still trying to thinking his way out of the logic and clues piling up around him.

“And four, Kid may be a jewel thief, but he is a non-violent offender who does not injure those who attend his heist. Even if Kid had broken that pattern to murder someone, who’s one possession he sought from them, he was already going to steal and would appear to have no motive outside of that, he wouldn’t injure another guest at his heist by putting poison on them. But most importantly, he is Kaito Kid, an elusive phantom thief, who disappears on the wind with no known identity…why does he need to frame anyone?” I asked with four fingers raised in the air and a condescending tone to my voice as I watched the other man’s mouth fall open slightly at my words, a thought he had clearly never considered.

Chiba stepped up to Ishihara-san with a hard look on his face. “May I have your jacket, sir?”

Ishihara slumped as the jacket was guided off his shoulders to be taken into evidence. 

“We started this company together, just the two of us working in our apartment trying to build it from the ground up. Sawaguchi was better at networking and was able to get us backers, which allowed us to get our first office and a real start. It only seemed right that he would become the President and me the Vice President, especially since the investors liked him best and he would have to work with them more than me. As the years went by we began to drift and have differing ideas on the projects we should take on and how things would be done. He would override me, stating it as his right as the President. He did like how I was handling some aspects of the company and threatened to have me ousted. From my own company! I helped him build this entire thing, and he would kick me out, the ungrateful bastard!”

“He was going to kick you out because he had found out about your embezzling.” Reika-san cut in, decisively.

“T-there’s no way!” Ishihara roared. That wasn’t a denial of the accusation of embezzling, just a denial of the knowledge of it.

“Oh, there certainly is, you’re not as careful with your record erasing as you think you are. Then he found out that there had been employees you had fired due to “accounting errors” to cover it up. He was quite furious that you had put innocent people out of a job for your crime. But you were still his friend, and he didn’t want to say that was the reason he was forcing you out, in which case you would have no chance of future employment. He thought losing your own company might put you on a straighter path, and maybe one day, he would invite you back if that appeared to be the case. We often argued over that choice since I felt you would learn nothing and just go somewhere else to inflict that misfortune on others. That was what that last fight you heard was truly about. He was trying to be considerate of you, his old friend.” She sneered at him.

The last jab seemed to hit her intended mark because his face crumpled and sent him to his hands and knees in disbelief. Maybe finally realizing his mistake and the fact that he was the one to betray the friendship that had created a thriving company from a mere shared dream.

‘Case closed.’

~


	4. Plan

Megure-keibu called forth two of his officers, who each grabbed the criminal and hauled him off the floor to begin leading him away. And that put an end to this case. 

I felt the hum of my phone against my thigh and discreetly pulled out my phone to look at the message I had received. 

Ready to go, trouble magnet? I’m waiting out front for you.

I scowled at the screen before looking around to see if I could possibly slip away. Megure was busy talking with Satou, and they stood with their backs slightly turned towards me. Ran was busy reining in her father’s comedy act. None of the other officers present were ones to pay too much attention to me, so I silently turned and slipped away. I would go by the station tomorrow to fill out my statement.

I was more than ready to get home.

~

The door to a sleek black sports car was being held open for me as I exited the party. The sports car was probably something Kaito had gotten from Jii-san since riding on his motorcycle wouldn’t be uncomfortable for me. With the heist done, the murderer apprehended, and Ran’s father showing up to make a nuisance of himself and providing her with a safe way home he didn’t feel too guilty about sneaking away. He could always go by the station tomorrow and fill out his statement. 

“Thanks,” murmured to him as I got closer. He grabbed my arm as I would have moved to slip into the car. I looked up at him curiously and was shocked when he leaned forward to kiss me. 

“Anything for my Tantei-kun.” He said with a sly grin that I didn’t understand. I tilted my head at the odd behavior as he released my arm and slipped into the car.

“Shinichi!”

I closed my eyes for a moment to gather my strength for whatever came next. Ran jogged up to the car her face a bright pink that couldn’t be accounted for by the little exertion she had just put forth. But as she glanced at Kaito and away quickly, my suspicion was confirmed. She had seen the kiss. The kiss had been deliberate. 

“Hey, Ran. My ankle was hurting, and I was feeling tired, so I decided to go ahead and leave. So I called this guy to come to pick me up. Let me introduce you. Kaito, this is my childhood friend, Mouri Ran. Ran, this is…my boyfriend, Kuroba Kaito.” I finished with my cheeks heating. Ran’s mouth was open in a slight ‘O’ of surprise. Kaito, being who he was, quickly stepped in to alleviate any tension before it could really form.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Shin-chan’s description doesn’t do your loveliness justice.” Kaito said and performed a little bow as he produced a yellow rose for her. Ran looked both dazed and dazzled. I rolled my eyes, Kaito was very good at that.

She took the rose and glanced between the two of us. I sat there with tension holding my spine ramrod straight, waiting for her response. She gave me a small smile that was tinged with sadness at the corners before she gave Kaito a slight bow.

“It’s nice to meet you, Kuroba-san. We should find time to sit down and get to properly meet each other. I would love to hear how you two meet and how you got through to that detective geek. For someone so smart, he’s sometimes very clueless when it comes to emotions.” She said with a sly smile.

Kaito let out a bark of real laughter, his poker face clearly slipping for a moment, proving he had been worried about the reaction to his plan. “I would like that Mouri-san. Please call me, Kaito. I have a feeling we will be great friends.”

“Then, I insist you call me Ran.” She replied with a warm smile. She moved to pass Kaito to give me a hug goodbye. “You let him call you Shin-chan?” She whispered to me as I hugged her back.

My face was on fire now. “‘Let’ is a strong word!”

She laughed as she pulled back. Her eyes seemed a bit misty, but her smile was still genuine. She would cry tonight, over the opportunity we had lost due to my mistake. But she would celebrate me finding happiness, and that would make it easier for her to let go. I gave her a sad smile back, then watched as she turned and walked away. 

Kaito closed my door and quickly made his way around to his side. As he put the car into gear, my phone buzzed with a message.  
Megure: I was just informed that Sawaguchi-san is going to make it. I want to see you at the station tomorrow to fill out a report. I smiled and locked the phone before glancing at Kaito.

“Nice plan,” I said drily.

“I thought so,” He drawled casually.

“How long?” I asked simply.

“Oh, not long. Maybe since the second to last heist or so.”

He had been planning how to help me come clean with Ran for two months or more now. Part of it had probably been because he had noticed how much it was bothering me. Another part of it would be wanting to be as fair to Ran as possible. But I was almost sure that at least a little of it was not wanting to be a secret in my life anymore.

“Do you mind?” Kaito asked. He would have sounded casual and unworried to anyone else. But I noticed the slight difference in the tone that keeps it from truly being a casual question.

I stared out the window at the passing city streets. “Idiot,” I grumbled. “Why would I mind you helping me deal with a situation I was stumped on? Although I did find your approach juvenile.”

I noticed the tension leave him by the smoothing of the lines around his mouth through the reflection in the window, even as he snorted at my weak admonishment. “So do you need help with your ankle tonight? You overworked yourself.”

I flushed slightly because I knew what the real question was. Was it alright for him to stay the night? Though he did genuinely care about my injury, the inquiry was a roundabout way of asking for an invitation. “Yeah,” I mumbled. “That would be great.”

The reflection of his grin almost blinded me, and I felt my cheeks heated more as a thrill ran through my body.

~

**Author's Note:**

> This is another one of those creative writing prompts that got away from me in terms of length. But I hope you all enjoy it none the less. I'm working on these prompts to improve my writing skill for an original project I have in the works so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.


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